Paleoquest , the new Linden Game opened yesterday. Emails are going out and I seemed to get one of the first ones, even though I am not a premium member. Press, perhaps has it advantages OR serendipity was in play -- or perhaps simply that my last name starts with "A". However that invite came my way, I of course wanted to see what was up.

Lani, being the primo Realms gal, was the obvious choice to check out the new theme park. Part Jurassic, part Linden Realms, there are quests to complete and then artifacts to find. This is much like a remake of the Realms which opened almost four years ago (how time flies!).

The build is certainly a step above the Realms and there is a definite "Disney" feel to the entry area with long ramps, welcome areas, tropical flowers ala Adventureland boad ride. A tutorial area is in the welcome center should you need it.

The action takes place in various areas, five spots reached by monorail. You need to complete the quests in order and it appears that you get paid when you have completed each quest (one payout per week). So this is much like the original realms where you collected crystals, made flares and lit canons, all to gain 25 linden. You DID learn a lot along the way and that was the point.

The monorails run at two minute intervals so if you miss one you will have a wait a bit.

The ride is quite lovely and very realistic. Getting off at the first stop seemed wise (and was) but I missed that there were stairs to go DOWN (difficult to see) and took the teleporter instead (bad plan). I somehow ended up on the monorail platform again and after waiting a bit hopped back on. It was then I noted that the train told you the upcoming stop in chat. So I road around the rest of the circle enjoying a glimpse of the adventures and then was catapulted off when the train got back to the station.

A short run got me back to my original monorail entry point and the second time I found the stairs! This took me to the beginning of Quest One which is about finding a mask and then returning it to a place inside the pyramid. I did well until I had to tightrope walk. I am sure there is a trick to getting ALL the way across the wire, but after a few tries I decided I had had enough adventure and information to pass along.

OK. This part was VERY confusing since I was going from the video instructions. I am lining out my original remarks and putting in the note left (see comments). I will head over to test this later:

Hey! Quickly wanted to let you know, that it's not one quest per week.
All 5 Quests are playable at all time, but you can only get the reward
for finishing all 5 Quests once.Which is quite understandable I think,
cause it's 100l$ you can make there :o! You also don't have to finish
the Quests before you can collect or cash in collectables.You can
collect them on all regions at any time :D

You MUST complete the quest before you can collect and turn in eggs (think crystals if you are a REALMS fan). There are blue and pink eggs and you run through them just like the crystals. They don't COUNT however until you have completed the quest for that area. Some eggs in Quest One are small, some large. They are easy enough to get, but of course there will be others after the eggs, not just you.

So if you are a gamer, the obvious plan would be to complete the quests as fast as you can (one per week) so that by week five you could be "part" of the elite bunch questing for artifacts in the last area.

You DO need to complete each of the five quests IN ORDER; the monorail reminds you of that. You need 20 collectables (eggs, feathers, crystals) in order to turn them in at the station AND if you get killed you lose the collectables you have gathered and need to start over.

Experience keys are in use and there is a warning that some AOs may interfere with some of the animations needed to complete quests.

Addendum:

On my second trip I visited some of the other quest areas and was mightily impressed in that sim designer kind of way. They have done a very nice job here. I did note that in areas with lots of avatars such as Quest One, lag was a problem even with shadows turned off. So along with the impressiveness comes some issues. Most places ran very smoothly.

And you get one linden dollar for every 20 blue crystals. With loosing them each time a tree, rock, quicksand, fireball gets you, this is likely not a big money maker. It IS a challenge however :D.

Hard to believe but this is the 30th round for The Challenge. How time flies! I have been along for the ride and it has been great fun seeing how the designers (sometime me too) use the theme to create new works each month.

This month's theme is Electronics.

Long ago and far away we had "regular" cameras. A few folks still use film and developing, but most of us are now in the digital age. From ::NEWCHURCH:: a great set of cameras with lots of detail.

Now these spiffy cameras are a bit primmy (7-10) but they are also mod and if you are a gal or guy with a tiny bit of building experience it is very easy to attach the rezzable cameras as pose props. And that of course is JUST what I did.

I made a fairly nice camera when I was first learning mesh and along the way a collection of camera poses; hence I was set for that part of the photo shoot. Now this cutie is much finer detailed than my one prim wonder of long ago; great for close up shots and all sorts of shenanigans.

From Cheeky Pea (just a tad late) forNo21, a palette bed; the :CP: Pallet Storage Bed Blush to be exact which comes in both PG and A versions at a surprising 11 land impact. The covers and pillows roll back to leave an afghan (we don't want to get cold) for you lounging pleasures. This is the girlie version. There is also a "manly" neutrals style available at the event. Yummy textures! Well no surprise there.

From ArisAris a fun set for your beach-combing adventures. My Little Bouquet comes in fitted mesh for both legacy avatars and Maitreya.

And there are SHUZ! My favorite flat sandals of the summer in a lovely pattern that coordinates with the dress as well as any of your white seasonal garments.

I a guessing that you noted my new hair. Very girlie and summer and beachy (well I did the dark blonde thing for that California Girl look *wink*. Waimea is a fitting name for this Vanity Hair carefree style.

Find both of these great new summer items at the Aloha Fair, both have a 30% discount for the event.

Let's talk huds.

Where did some of the high dollar script writers of SL's heyday go? Well some of them are making these very classy huds that make our life easier.

Note the current Vanity Hair hud. I mentioned it in a recent post. Well today I played even more. On the first layer I chose my two toned general color; then I went onto the STREAKS menu and added som additional changes. An almost endless number of looks can be had. And don't forget there is tinting. It is taken me a bit to get into the groove with this classy and small hud, but I am liking it.

I am also liking the hairbase option on my new Lelutka head. So many hair designers these day have SO many colors to choose from (a good thing) that matching up the right hairbase with the hair color you chose can sometimes be a chore. The Lelutka hud lets you find a base color (lighter than your finished of course) that you can tint to mach the hair you are wearing. Easy!

Location: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Diamond%20bay/181/140/2001 (take the white flower down to the ground)

Definitely one of my favorite fantasy outfits in awhile, the Senzafine "Beriawen" top and skirt sets (many colors huds; this is Pack 02) is a shimmery magical outfit fit for a lady. Find it in MANY color packs at The Fantasy Collective.

Happily the end of the month brings us UberTime! The East Side Style grouping is filled with great accessory pieces. Happily I have lots and lots of prims left for decorating my new abode (yes, moved again). This record player will be perfect in the bedroom corner along with the "You Had Me At Hello" photo frame decor.

Along with these fun items in the "I don't have much money but I sure as hell have style" theme (to me anyway) there is a great couch and some other fun pieces. So be sure and drop by the Cheeky Pea booth at Uber and see them all!

Pssst! The two smaller book stacks in the top photo are dollarbies. IMHO one can NEVER have too many books!

I am typically slow to jump on any bandwagon, but a series of events on Tuesday got me over to LeLutka to try out some demo heads.

I am still in considering mode, but this is my favorite, KARIN.

I originally thought you needed both head and appliers, but much like mesh bodies, the default head comes with tons of options. I honestly was very happy with the basic look although I did try some appliers. Money saving is a plus in my book.

Another "good thing" on the tally sheet is that the Lelutka heads (honestly I tried to find others but both the Marketplace and Google were NOT being all that helpful ) match the skin colors of the Lara body -- easy peasy.

You can have ambient occlusion on with any Windlight setting and no neck seam.

You can switch skin tones easily and be exotically dark for one photo shoot and goth for the next -- all with the same basic "look".

By toning down the sliders, I got a look that I felt pretty comfortable in. This doesn't really feel like "me", but I will live with her for a bit and see. It took me at least five mesh bodies before I chose Lara. No regrets there. I may need to wait for another head that is more "Chic" LOL. Still it was good to see how everything worked. Quite easily really.

For fun I made a composite of my out of the pod self (well close enough), a look that I have worn for several years now and the new mesh head gal.

PS. After finishing this post I tried the next darker skin tone and a longish favorite hair (not quite as punk which was fitting for the outfit) and felt more at home. The next morning I went back to try the heads I had missed on my first visit. I think I have a winner now. Stella seems very much like "Chic" :D. Yes, she does!

FASHION NOTES:

My mesh jacket and tank combo (jacket can be worn separately) is from 20.FIVE -- ingrid. It comes with color change hud for the tank.

I spent the late night hours going through photo op landmarks. Since many were in the five year old range, they dropped out of keeper status rapidly. A few amazingly were still in their same spots; of those, many had not changed over the years. It was -- going back in time.

I moved again yesterday. I will be busy with other projects for awhile and will not be around much to partake in the Point's playlife. It only seemed fair to give my lovely home to someone who would have more time for residence status.

My new place, like my old, is quite posh. It sits low on the water with a long distance view of almost endless seas and with access to a large waterway. My house has a swimming pool (my first) and a boat dock out front. My {what next} motor boat is awaiting a jaunt in the near future. I don't believe I have lived on the Corsican mainland before, mostly I have been in the southern continent. There will be much to explore in my brief off hours.

I saw a huge Linden land mass not far from my new abode and flew over. It was the Linden Memorial Park built in the Spring of 2009. There is little there but trees and pathways and a few memorial areas. The waterfalls are still quite impressive. The strategic use of Windlight can make even older sites quite beautiful.

I lost an old friend in the real world last week. She had just celebrated her 95th birthday and was always full of life -- the one so many people looked up to as a model of how to grow old with adventure rather than simply "gracefully". She managed to do both and will be missed by many. Safe travels Irene.

I gave up a few of my favorite ArisAris heels when I switched to Lara. Yes, I know in theory you can "make" Slink work; honestly I am just too lazy. So I am THRILLED that Maitreya is now a choice -- and aren't these lovely!

I really like the ArisAris huds. Again since I am often a lazy gal I usually opt for the ready-made versions. Happily there are both plains and patterns so frequently one of these will work perfectly with my outfit.

Be prepared to adjust your hover height (both SL and FS viewers have this new feature as I understand > right click and hover height) as these are TALL heels - LOL. But happily it is a VERY easy fix now; thank you Linden Lab for making life easier.

Last week was a whirlwind and this one looks to be the same. A few minutes of reflection in my new home, I am sharing with you.

The votes are in -- well no one was voting but me of course. This is my favorite new hair. A bit longer than I normally wear, I am definitely seduced by the hair color which is very close to the typist's and which is also that way purposefully **wink**. FindJill (along with Jack) if you missed the mention in a previous post at Exile , part of a big 10th anniversary Hair Fair gift.

This intricate necklace is from MEVA for Tres Chic
which opens TODAY. Earrings apear to sway teasingly as I move, flitting in and
out of the long hair. Very sexy.

The Fusion set is also available in
gold.

Click to enlarge the close up photo.

raw shot

In a rare tooting my own horn moment, I wanted to show off one of the glasses I made this month. I have been learning cycles rendering in Blender which is definitely like "leveling up" in a computer game. Lots of studying and experimentation and I have a stellar set of glasses with and without liquid. My favorite is the scotch on the rocks glass.

The beauty of cycles rendering is that even if you aren't viewing the world with a stellar graphics card, items look just as good (95% to 100% in my tests). So that is a huge improvement in the overall experience. I heartily recommend putting in the time to learn this skill.

Available on the marketplace and viewable inworld (link in the marketplace listing).

Jumpsuit by Hucci (not new)
Most furnishings in the photo are by Tromple Loeil.

Out for Fifty Linden Friday some cute cool drink sipping jars at one land impact each. Find them at Sway's. These coordinate nicely with the Wayward Carnival offering from Sway's so check that out also!

Full bar - white - clean version

The Wayward Carnival is open -- with fun beachy items for the most part. From Second Spaces a huge variety of soda bars in various colors.

The Erynn Soda Bar is available in 5 colors. Each set includes a full bar and an empty bar, and each bar comes in shabby and not shabby versions...so, 4 bars to a pack.

:CP: Beach Camp Hut - Latte

You won't miss Cheeky Pea's offering for this event. Huts and lodges (larger versions) line the path at the carnival. There are many colors to choose from including some knock your socks of brights. Lots of fun! This small version is 29 land impact and measures 6 x 7.5.

"It has been a good day so far. There was something about the sight of a beautiful woman on a powerful motorbike with a sword stuck on the back that had a powerful effect on a certain type of man. So far four traveling salesmen had tried to race her, and bits of Ford Sierra now decorated the crash barriers and bridge supports along forty miles of motorway."

My book is one of many offerings in this theme from Fallen Gods Inc.; the Good Omens, Bibliophyle Delight contains both books and framed imaginary "pages" (original) from the book. There is also a gray-scale skin for both women and men.

By the time this posts the Machinima Open Studio Project will have departed the LEA7 sim. These are likely my last photos from my building pad. It wasn't a planned photo shoot of course, but as I teleported in from packing up some of the areas I noted the white of the pedestal, the white of the dress, the copper of the book, the copper of my hair. Well, if you are a photographer, you know the rest of the story.

There are two divergent but equally fun events going on right now, A Tattered Page and of course Hair Fair. They come together in this post.

This book and pedestal set is from 22769 ~ [bauwerk], The Book of Accurate Prophecies, and made by Paco Pooley. Definitely impressive, it just might be the perfect addition to your role play area -- or even a photo prop to add to your collection. I have modded the size to be smaller than the original version; it is 3li at this size which is a great "prim" bargain. Find it of course in the library (link above).

Amazingly this is one of the gift hairs from Hair Fair. Not only is it dramatic, it comes with a variety of bangs and in many colors by HUD. The hud, I might say, is one of my favorites as it is small and you click through the pages. I definitely thought this present deserved it own post .

Oh, you want to know where? The Analog Dog shop where there are a LOT of other great hairs just released from this long time designer for the event!

Sand texture by Cory Edo (Trompe Loeil)
Candy dress by Baiastice (yes I haven't been changing often this week)